'Tweeting' attracts unwelcome attention Sunday, June 7, 2015 Anyone who has followed the news likely knows the trials and tribulations of Appin dairy farmer Andrew Campbell, who planned to post a farm photo on his Twitter account every day this year and was subsequently attacked by anti-agriculture activists. Campbell is not unique in finding that launching a farming blog can bring unwelcome publicity. Wisconsin dairy farmer Carrie Mess and Alberta grain farmer Sarah Schultz told their stories at an Ontario Farm and Food Care conference in April. After Mess pronounced a PETA video allegedly showing abused cattle on a dairy farm in North Carolina a fraud on her blog, she "received a cease-and-desist order" from PETA, ordering her to take her blog off down. "I didn't . . . I framed (the letter) and put it up in my office." Because of the video the farmer couldn't find a market for his milk. The agricultural community should have supported the farmer, not abandoned him, Mess asserted. Schultz, wife of a farmer and a nurse, was investigated by her professional association after a local activist falsely accused her of selling health products from her website. How hateful does all this get? Schultz relates that, when she blogged that she was taking a holiday in Hawaii, "someone hoped my plane would crash." All three "agvocates" say they continue to tweet and blog because there is so much misinformation about agriculture on social media that needs to be corrected, and that is best done by farmers. BF Diversification: One farmer's answer to the crop rotation puzzle Farming electricity from plants
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online